BBC Olympics head: 3D sports can look odd

Like the Javelin - he's got a point or two

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The man in charge of the BBC's 2012 television coverage has suggested that some sport looks "pretty odd" in 3D.

Writing after the 3D coverage of Wimbledon, BBC director of London 2012 Roger Mosey blogged that, although some 3D sport worked well, he still had doubts that the technology could be applied to every discipline.

"For the BBC, we've always agreed that some of the Olympics should be captured in 3D - though this would be a full 20 years after the pioneering of 3D in Barcelona by analogue cameras," wrote Mosey.

Duck!

"There's no doubt that 3D at its best is terrific to watch. As one of this weekend's reviewers noted, it can be realistic enough that you duck when the ball's heading your way," he continued.

"But I've also seen some sport that looks pretty odd in 3D, and the consumer reaction so far hasn't been decisive - which means there are still doubts in the industry about whether 3D will become standard in the way that HD already has.

"That's echoed in the movie world where there's some evidence of audiences turning away from 3D."

Mosey's opinion is by no means rare within the industry – and the caution over 3D has been clear from the BBC, who are in a position to avoid pressure from any of the television manufacturers to back the technology.

In fairness, even one of the country's leading 3D evangelists, Sky, have suggested that an extra dimension works better for some sports than others, but we'll wait with interest to see if the hammer-throwing has us ducking for cover beneath our sofas, or if the 10k has us glued to another non-3D channel.